407pp., illus., maps, paperback, Trapeze, London, 2025

ISBN: 9781398719903

Biographies of 12 queens and warriors from across the African continent, including Njinga a Mbande, Nandi kaBhebhe, Labotsibeni Mdluli, Makobo Modjadji VI and Ranavalona I.

"In When We Ruled, Akpan recounts the histories of a dozen African queens and warriors from around the continent - including Nana Yaa Asantewaa, who led the Asante people against British colonizers and combined both roles. Akpan merges storytelling with anecdotes about her personal research visits to nearly all the homelands of the women she writes about. Those interested in the issues swirling around African history as well as feminist and LGBTQ+ perspectives will welcome her approach, which challenges old certainties and complicates past narratives." Booklist (starred)

"A rich, sumptuous and beautifully written tapestry of the past that makes my heart soar and ache all at once; this is the history we should have learned in schools. I can't imagine the person I'd be today if I'd known that this is where we came from." Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie

Paula Akpan is a Black British historian and journalist who has written for a variety of publications, including Vogue, Teen Vogue, The Independent, Stylist, VICE, i-D, Bustle and Time Out London.

WHEN WE RULED, the rise and fall of twelve African queens and warriors

: Akpan (P.)

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